Trump election puts already-paused MTA congestion pricing plan in jeopardy

With president-elect Donald Trump already saying he’d termination the MTA’s congestion pricing plan, Gov. Hochul stopped abbreviated Wednesday of saying she would enactment to get the program backmost connected way up of Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20.

“We ever knew this predetermination would beryllium a toss-up — this is simply a script that we planned for starting past summer,” she said. “Before the extremity of the year, successful a timley capable frame, we volition person our announcements and a backing plan.”

Hochul called Wednesday connected Trump to assistance money immoderate of the region’s large transit projects. His predetermination comes arsenic the MTA is seeking $68 cardinal successful backing for superior projects successful its 2025-29 superior budget.

The authorities bureau is besides looking to capable a $15 cardinal spread near by Hochul’s determination to intermission the rollout of congestion pricing this summer.

That money — which included $3 cardinal successful matching funds toward $2 cardinal successful national grants for Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway — has been up successful the aerial since Hochul enactment the tolling program connected “indefinite pause” successful June, though the politician has repeatedly said she is committed to backing the MTA.

Without the MTA’s matching contribution, the national authorities could revoke its grant, efficaciously defunding enlargement of the long-awaited enactment to East Harlem.

“[President Elect Trump] needs to enactment our ongoing efforts to enactment our transit,” Hochul told reporters Wednesday. “Support the Gateway Tunnel, Second Avenue Subway, and money large captious infrastructure — peculiarly the MTA.”

Former President Donald Trump speaks astatine a run rally astatine Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, successful New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump had been an outspoken professional of congestion pricing anterior to Hochul’s pause, promising successful May to “terminate” the program his archetypal week backmost successful office.

The congestion toll, arsenic approved by the feds and the MTA, would person charged motorists a basal toll of $15 erstwhile a time to thrust connected the aboveground streets of Midtown and little Manhattan. The program included late-night discounts arsenic good arsenic discounts for those already paying passageway tolls, and it included higher tolls for larger vehicles.

The program was projected to rise immoderate $1 cardinal a twelvemonth successful revenues, which would successful crook money the issuance of $15 cardinal successful bonds to wage for MTA superior projects.

Hochul paused the programme saying the toll was excessively precocious for New Yorkers.

Asked Wednesday if, successful the look of Trump’s opposition, she would assistance the intermission and nonstop her State Department of Transportation to enact the program up of the erstwhile president’s January inauguration, Hochul reiterated that a solution for the $15 cardinal backing spread was coming.

“At the time, the $15 was excessively overmuch for mundane New Yorkers erstwhile affordability is apical of caput for them,” Hochul said. “That does not mean I’m hostile to congestion pricing — to the contrary I simply said this was a pause. We cognize our timeframe amended than anybody.”

“I spoke to the White House astir this 3 days ago,” she added. “They recognize our request to instrumentality affirmative steps to guarantee that thing compromises the MTA.”

Meanwhile, MTA president Janno Lieber said successful a connection that helium was optimistic.

“The MTA’s attack is businesslike, focused connected moving large work to determination millions of people, due to the fact that erstwhile New York does good the nationalist system does well,” Lieber said.  “We volition marque the lawsuit successful Washington, wherever determination is simply a agelong past of bipartisanship connected proscription issues — arsenic we did during COVID, moving alongside Sen. Schumer, Republicans, Democrats, and the archetypal Trump medication to marque definite transit was capable to support going.”

The archetypal Trump administration, however, gave the MTA pennies connected the dollar comparatively. President Trump’s archetypal medication awarded astir $77 cardinal successful discretionary grants to the MTA — the Biden medication awarded billions.